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NEW YORK - To know a cat, you must walk a mile in its paws, say animal behaviorists running a training school in New York where cat owners get to behave like their animals to understand them better.
The "Acatemy" is offering cat owners various classes such as "cat-isthenics" where you exercise like a cat, climbing on oversized scratchers and batting an oversized ball of yarn, and "cat-napping" where you curl up on a bean bag and snooze.
"People are going to learn a lot just by acting like a cat, and people are going to relieve a lot of stress in their lives," said Warren Eckstein, a radio show host and author of "How to Get Your Cat to do What You Want."
The school, set up at New York's Daryl Roth Theater by Del Monte Foods' catfood label Meow Mix, argues that if people can think like their favorite felines it will foster mutual understanding between cats and their humans.
Carol Puttra, 50, of New York and her 19-year-old daughter Anastasia attended the six-day training camp hoping to understand more about their deaf cat who twitched her ears a lot for no particular reason they could see.
"She's so much more mysterious," said Puttra. "We'd love to learn more about her."
Feline behaviorists, cat therapists, veterinarians and pet psychics were on hand to answer questions about what makes animals happy.
The Amazing Kreskin, aka George Kresge, a mentalist who became popular on a television show aired in the United States and Canada in the 1970s, says he spends much of his time reading the thoughts of his beloved cats Miss Kitty, Squeaky and Bugsy.
He said cats "know our whims, they know our feelings and our body gives off heat. The way we touch them tells them an awful lot."
"I say this as a mentalist and with a degree in psychology, You want to learn a lot about a person, see how they treat animals," said Kreskin who is holding a seminar at the event.
Pet psychic Emerald DuCoeur was offering to connect with people's cat -- both alive and dead -- to find out about their previous lives, their health and views on harmony.
After a six-day stint in New York, the Acatemy is making an 11 city tour of the United States starting August 29 in Pittsburgh and ending November 4 in San Francisco.
- REUTERS
